RED BANK: AFTER TRAGEDY, FIREFIGHTERS OPEN DOORS TO PREVENT MORE

Red Bank firefighters on the scene of a blaze last June. (Photo by Brian Donohue. Click to enlarge.)

By BRIAN DONOHUE

NOTE: DUE TO WEATHER, SUNDAY’S OPEN HOUSES HAVE BEEN POSTPONED AND WILL BE RESCHEDULED TO A NEW DATE IN NOVEMBER

When Charles Dillard died from injuries he sustained in a blaze at his Shrewsbury Avenue home in June, Red Bank’s volunteer firefighters found themselves looking for some way – any way – to turn the tragedy into a chance to do some good.

The fruition of that idea comes this Sunday, when the Red Bank Fire Department will throw open the doors of two firehouses to attain

two badly needed things: more smoke alarms in more homes, and more volunteer firefighters to step up and join the force.

The department is holding an open house at two firehouses Sunday where residents can sign up for free smoke alarms, tour the firehouses, meet the firefighters and, hopefully, visit the recruitment table and consider volunteering.

Both the Liberty Firehouse at 151 Spring Street, the West Side Hose firehouse at 261 Leighton Avenue will be open from noon to 3 pm.

The smoke alarm distribution program is the direct result of efforts that began with the tragic blaze at 249 Shrewsbury Avenue on June 24. Firefighters rescued Dillard by pulling him out of a second-story bedroom window in the rear of the home. He had sustained burns over much of his body and died several weeks later.

An investigation found the home had no smoke alarms, RBFD officials said.

In the wake of the fire, RBFD brass reached out to the Red Cross to participate in the organization’s smoke alarm programs. The organization promised an unlimited number of free smoke detectors to Red Bank residents, RBFD Chief Frank Woods said.

At the open house, residents can sign up for free smoke alarms and firefighters will come to their home at an agreed-upon time and install them, Woods said.

Also at the open houses, residents can also discuss volunteering, either as a trained firefighter themselves or in the several other positions the department offers.

When he was sworn in last January, RBFD Chief Frank Woods issued a plea for more residents to join the department, saying more volunteers were badly needed.

In announcing Sunday’s open house before Borough Council meeting last month, Woods made a similar request calling serving on the department, “a great honor.”

He added, “It’s one of the best things I’ve ever done in my life, being a volunteer firefighter.”

The Red Bank Elks are also planning a Fire Prevention event at the West Side Hose firehouse the following Sunday in Dillard’s honor. (See flier below.)

redbankgreen editor Brian Donohue may be reached via email at [email protected] or by calling or texting 848-331-8331 or yelling his name loudly as he walks by. Do you value the news coverage provided by redbankgreen? Please become a financial supporter if you haven’t already. Click here to set your own level of monthly or annual contribution.